I moved to London in the mid 90s. I spent the next decade or so trying to establish myself as a writer and journalist. I made a bad job of it . I was romantically unsuccessful. I got mugged a lot. I didn't really fit in anywhere. I kept a diary for those ten years, documenting everything from bizarre job interviews to getting hit by snowballs in spring to getting mugged all the time. I mostly come off quite badly. Maybe it built character. We can only hope.